Latch for vehicle doors



Aug- 31 1926. E. COLLINS I LATCH FOR VEHICLE moons Filed Oct. is,' 1925'mvEn'rqR, B Efd Col/in Wm WM Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

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sr'res ERD COLLINS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

LATCH FOR VEHICLE DOORS.

Application filed October 15, 1925.

My invention relates to latch means and particularly to means forlatching doors as are found on motor trucks.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide such a latch means wherebythe doors may be securely held in a closed position, that may bemanufactured at a very low cost and possess extreme simplicity, and suchthat may be attached to a wide range of door constructions. A furtherobject is to provide means whereby the latch bar may be held in a closedposition preliminary to the affixing of a lock. I

I accomplish these and such minor objects as will be apparent in thefollowmg description, by the means as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my latch as applied to a setof double doors; Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective view of the lock-plate;Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective fragmentary view of that portion of thelatch-bar engaging with the lock-plate; Fig. 4, a fragmentary elevationof the latch-bar contacting the lock-plate; and Fig. 5, a similarfragmentary elevation showing the latchbar engaged with the lock-plate.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1, I form a latch-bar 10 having one endpivotally secured by the rivet 11 to the hinge-plate 12, and the otherend formed as a handle 13. The hinge-plate 12 is attached to the door 14near its lower edge.

I pivotally secure the vertical plungerbar 15 to the latch-bar 10 by therivet 16, such that by swinging the latch-bar 10 about its pivot, theplunger-bar 15 may be raised or lowered as indicated by the dash linesin Fig. 1. The upper end of the plunger-bar 15 is guided by the strap 17which is attached to the door 14, and a socket 18 is attached to thedoor frame 19 and so aligned with the strap .17 that the plungerbar 15may enter the socket '18 by raising the latch-bar 10. A stop 31 issecured to the door to limit the downward travel of the plunger-bar 15.

Near the handle end of the latch-bar 10, I form a notch 20, as bestshown in Fig. 3, and projecting outwardly from that edge of the notchtoward the pivot end of the latchbar 10. is a lug 21 having an ear 22turned show, Fig.

Serial No. 62,529.

over from the the notch.

A lock-plate 23, Fig. 2, is secured to the door 33, such that when thelatch-bar 10 is swung up to a horizontal position,- the normallyprojecting catch 24 is parallel to, and in approximate contact with thelug 21 on the side toward the handle of the latchbar 10. Both the lug 21and the catch 24 are provided with holes 25, and 26 that match in thisposition so that a padlock (not shown) or any other securing means maybe passed through both holes. I here 1, a snap fastener 27 passedthrough both the lug 21 and the catch 24, and attached to the latch-bar10 by the chain 28 for convenience. 5

Particular attention is called to the means I employ to hold thelatch-bar 10 in a hori- Zontal locked position before any device ispassed through the holes 25 and 26.

The catch 24, projecting normally from the plate 23, is receive the neckof the latch-bar 10 at the bottom of the notch 20, thereby preventingeither door from swinging outwardly. As the latch-bar 10 is swung uponto the catch 24, the ear 22 contacts the catch 24, as in Fig. 4, andthe inclined edge of the notch 20 starts up under the slot 29. Furthertravel of the latch-bar 10, causes the catch 24 to contact firmly by theupper edge of the slot 29 on the inclined edge of the notch 20 at thesame time the car 22 is pressing snugly against the face of the catch24, and by jerking the latch-bar 10 upwardly, the ear 22 will springover the top of the catch 24 and permit it to travel sideways off theinclined edge of the notch 20 to contact the lug 21. There is alwayssufficient play in the door hinges to permit the slight side travel sorequired. The catch 24 is thus engaged to the latch-bar l0, and itsdisengagement is prevented normally by the ear 2 holding the catch 24downwardly in the notch 20 so that the catch 24 can not travel sidewaysoutwardly on account of the inclined edge of the notch 20. A quick jerkdownwardly will release the latch-bar 10, when so desired.

The same construction may be employed on a single door as well as on thedouble door constructionhere shown, and while I have here shown myinvention in the form now best known to me,it is obvious, that the topedge of the lug toward provided with a slot 29 to structure may bevaried without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I,therefore, do not desire to be limited to the precise construction asshown, nor anymore, be necessitated by the accompanyprojecting from theface of the latch-bar,

an ear extending from the lug, a latch-plate, a catch normallyprojecting from said latchplate and having a slot cut from its loweredge, said slot serving as a guide for said latch-bar along said notch,andsaid catch Y being adapted to be contacted by said ear and heldwithin said notch by said ear engaging withthe catch. I

2. The combination of a latch-bar pivoted by one end and having a notchformed from the top sidenear the opposite end, said notch having theside toward the pivoted end of the latch-bar normal to the edge of thebar and the other sideof the notch being cut at an acute angle from thebar edge,

a lug projecting from the face of the latch-' bar, an ear extending fromthe top edge of the lug, alook-plate, a catch normally pro jecting fromsaid lock-plate vand having a slot cut, from its lower edge, said slotserving as a guide for said latch-bar along said notch, and said catchbeing adapted to be contacted by said ear and held within said notch bysaid ear engaging with the catch,

.and a stop limiting the downward travel of the latch-bar. 1

3. The combination of a lock-bar pivoted by one end and having a notchformed from the top side near the opposite end, said notch having theside toward the pivoted end of the lock-bar normal tothe edge of-the barand the other side of the notch being cut at an acute angle from the baredge, a lug projecting from the face of the lock-bar, an

ear extending from the top edge of the lug,

a latch-plate, a catch normally projecting it) from said latch-plate andhaving a slot cut from its lower edge, said slot serving as a guide forsaid lock-bar along said notch, and said catch being adapted to becontacted by said ear and held within said notch by said ear engagingwith the catch, and a plunger-bar pivot-ally secured to the lockbar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ERD COLLINS.

